


The Sum of X

by Wynele



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mathematics, Mild Smut, One Shot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 10:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15363060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wynele/pseuds/Wynele
Summary: And on the eighth day, Satan said, "Let's put the alphabet in math."





	The Sum of X

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be PWP that somehow turned into...whatever this is.

Chloe awoke to the first rays of daylight and a warm hand tracing patterns along her hipbone. Yawning, she rubbed her cheek against the mattress and breathed a content sigh. She had just begun to drift back asleep when she realized something was amiss.

Grumbling she flopped over onto her to stomach, her long hair falling into her face, to scowl at the devil himself.

Lucifer was laying on his stomach, hair mussed and curling, with her pillow clutched to his chest.

“Mine,” he muttered and hugged the pillow tighter when she tried to take it from him. “Get your own.”

“That is mine, you butt,” Chloe grumbled, but he simply breathed a sigh and drifted back to sleep. She tried once more to pull from his grasp.

His arms were limp and loose now that he had drifted off, but his wings seemed to have an awareness of their own. They rose defensively, and the lashed out, wrapped protectively around their owner.

Chloe uttered a wistful sigh at her pillow now trapped beneath a wall of feathers. She settled back on her stomach, head turned toward him, waiting for his wings to relax. Just as she was about to nod off again herself, the wings slackened, splaying feathers across the bedspread.

Very carefully, she slipped her hand into his feathers and under the long bone of his wing. His ulna, she mentally corrected herself in Ella’s voice. The ulna and radius are connected by a joint to the humerus, which was connected to a second pair of shoulder blades on an elongated ribcage.

All things considered, Ella had taken the revelation that Lucifer was the devil rather well. Even if she had begun to keep stray feathers found at crime scenes just in case. Nothing had ever panned out. At least nothing in the crime-fighting angel sense.

She smiled at Lucifer through the gap she had created between his wings. There was only one crime-fighting angel around, and he lived a double life as a notorious pillow thief. Carefully, she slipped between the gap. He reached for her automatically and pulled her close, sandwiching the pillow between them.

He made a little grumpy sound when she kissed him and burrowed deeper into the pillows. His wings curled around her like a feathery limb. Which, after the detailed and rather breathless lecture from Ella, Chloe realized they were.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” she whispered, kissing the top of his head. “You feeling okay?”

Lucifer lifted his head just enough that his eyes were visible. His hands began moving beneath the blankets, plucking at the waistband of her pajamas. He kissed her softly, slow and lingering, and slid his palm up her spine.

“I’m fine,” he murmured sleepily and kissed the end of her nose. “It’s still mine.”

Chloe pressed her lips together and shook her head, trying not to laugh. Sometimes she wondered if it was stupid to love him as much as she did. Then answer was probably. But then, didn’t everyone deserve to be stupid once in a while?

“Fine,” she said with a bit of feigned annoyance and wiggled a hand between them. She cupped him through his boxers, rubbing her palm against his morning erection. “This is mine.”

His eyes widened, popping open to their usual brightness, and he gave flashed her his most Lucifer of grins. “Oh, indeed.”

He tossed the pillow to the floor, kissing her as she rolled over onto her back. Sitting back on his heels, tugged her pajama top up to expose her breasts. He pressed an open mouth kiss to her sternum, and then licked a wet, hot line to her navel.

He swirled his tongue against her hipbone, nudging at her waistband with his chin. One hand slid up her body to cup a breast, while the other snaked between her thighs. Fingers curling and pressing down, he gently caressed her through the fabric and guided her hand to him. His hand slipped into her pajamas, a fingertip tracing the lace of her panties, and pressed teasingly slow into her.

Breath hitching in her throat, Chloe yanked her top off and tossed it to the floor with the discard pillow. She stroked him through his boxers, feeling him grow warm and impossibly hard against her fingertips. His mouth found her breast as his hands tugged at her pajama bottoms, and hers at his. And then he was on her, in her, his entire body melding into hers.

 

 

Hours later she woke up to her pillow tucked to her side and scent of grilled cheese wafting through her apartment. She yawned widely and stretched, her arms and legs reaching in all four directions, and then rolled over to Lucifer’s side of the bed. The sheets were cool, but still smelled vaguely of him. He had been up for a while.

“Augh! I give up!” Trixie bellowed, frustration evident in her voice, and kicked at the legs of her chair with her heels. “I’m just going to quit school and become a pole dancer at Lux!”

“First of all, my dear,” Lucifer began, his tone stern and matter of fact. “You are being pejorative.”

“It’s not pejorative,” Trixie said sarcastically, an eyeroll in her tone. “It’s realistic.” And she sighed the sigh of martyrs, papers rustling in her wake. “Just how much does a pole dancer make anyway?”

There was the clink of a skillet against the stove followed by the sound of running water. “Pejorative.”

Trixie’s groan was followed by the thump of her head hitting the table. “Lucifer,” she whined, “help…”

Chuckled softly to herself, Chloe climbed out of bed and pulled on her pajamas from the night before. Lucifer and Trixie were best friends when they thought no one was looking. Giving her pillow one last hug, she tossed it back on the bed padded downstairs. She knew her daughter well enough to know a conspiracy was brewing.

Standing just outside the kitchen, Chloe back, out of sight, and observed the pair for a moment. Lucifer hovered over Trixie’s shoulder, peering down at her homework. Instead of his usual attire, he wore a t-shirt emblazoned with an inverted pentagram and the words, _Be My Beeze-Bud,_ and a pair of snug fitting jeans.

The jeans, Chloe knew, probably cost more than her car, but the t-shirt had been a gift from Trixie. Lucifer had been scandalized and sniffed at the t-shirt in disdain until he learned that Trixie had bought for it with her allowance. After that, he wore it often when he spent the night or whenever the three of them went out.

“Fifteen, seven, nine, urchin,” Lucifer said with an exasperated sigh, tapping his finger against her open spiral notebook. “Solve the parenthesis first, then move on. Multiplying the same sign will always give you a positive number.”

Trixie blinked hard, staring at him as if he grew a second head. “Wait, what?”

“You already have your answer,” he explained, taking her pencil from her slack hand. “What you’re looking for is the why.”

Trixie crossed her arms over her chest, glowering with all the petulance she could muster. “I hope whoever came up with the whole letters in math thing is burning in hell!”

“Not burning so much as…” Lucifer looked thoughtful as he turned the notebook toward him. “Don’t think of the variables as letters, but as numbers in disguise.”

Trixie scooted over in her chair so that she and Lucifer were sitting side by side. She gave Lucifer a side eye, her expression dubious. “So, 3x is actually just three jerkasses?”

Chloe winced, closing one eye, and blew out a breath, shaking her head. One of these days she would break Trixie of her swearing habit.

“Correct!” Lucifer said with a nod and wrote out an equation on a piece of paper. “So, if you have three jerkasses minus one jerkass, or 3x-x, what does that give you?”

Or not, so long as Lucifer kept encouraging it.

Trixie’s expression went blank, and then suddenly brightened with realization. “Two jerkasses!”

Chloe bit her lip, barely able to keep from smiling. While Lucifer might fail in helping her clean up Trixie’s mouth, he aced other parts of the stepfather role. Not that he was Trixie’s stepfather, she mentally backpedaled. Simply that if he were, he wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Feeling a bit left out, she poked her head into the kitchen. A bubble of warmth blossomed in her chest as two pairs of dark eyes looked up at her.

“You guys are up early,” she said with a fake yawn and moved to stand between her two favorite people. “Or did I oversleep?”

“Both,” Trixie answered sourly, and then narrowed her eyes, staring down the devil himself. “Something doesn’t add up here.”

Lucifer slipped his arms around Chloe’s middle and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her cheek, and then looked around her at Trixie. “Simplify the equation so it’s easier to work with. Get rid of the parentheses and then—”

“No, she’s right,” Chloe said, grabbing the notebook from the table. There next to Trixie’s math problems were corrections in Lucifer’s precise handwriting. “Since when are you a math whiz?”

Lucifer laid his chin on her shoulder, looking a little bit embarrassed. “I, uh, taught early humanity mathematics in hopes that one day they may unravel the mysteries of the universe and render my father superfluous.”

“You invented algebra just to annoy your dad?

His fingertips lingered on her waist, slipping from her hips, as she rose from his lap. He shrugged and tilted his head sideways, considering. “When you put it that way, it does sound rather petty.”

Eyes narrowing, Trixie glowered at Lucifer, and then looked plaintively at Chloe.

“Your boyfriend is evil,” she grumbled, pouting. “Make him uninvent algebra.”

Chloe narrowly resisted a laugh and pat Trixie’s hand. As far as revelations go, this felt relatively minor. At least nowhere as brain breaking as dragons are real or that her boyfriend was the devil. “Sorry, sweetie—”

Trixie squealed suddenly, bounding out of her chair, and clapped her hands together. “Lucifer is the freakin’ devil!”

Lucifer frowned, utterly baffled at Trixie’s obvious statement, but Chloe knew exactly what her daughter had in mind. “No.”

“But, Mom,” Trixie whined, sticking out her bottom lip, and then plopped back down in her chair. “He could just do his eyeball thing, and then…” she drew her hands together, and then flung them outward, miming an explosion. “Trixie’s passing.”

“Trixie,” Chloe warned, but Trixie ignored her in favor of saddling up to Lucifer.

Baffled, Lucifer eyed them both warily, glancing between mother and daughter. “I don’t—"

“And then Lucifer could talk to Coach Wilks,” Trixie said smugly and shoved her homework aside. “Why am I even bothering to study?”

“Because,” Chloe drew out and pushed the notebook back in front of her daughter. “I don’t want you to end up pole dancing at Lux.”

“Again, pejorative,” Lucifer huffed, obviously offended, and took one of the grilled cheese sandwiches from the plate. “I’m beginning to think you’re prejudiced against dancers in general.”

Chloe groaned, shaking her head. Lucifer was so protective of his dancers. It was rather endearing unless she needed to make a point to her daughter. She looked Trixie in the eye, smiling. “Baby, you’re so smart. You can do anything you want.”

“Except become a pole dancer,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes before breathing a defeated sigh. “Would it help if I mentioned that my teacher is an unwitting servant of the devil?”

Chloe made a face, wrinkling her nose. Her eyes sparkled with laughter. “No.”

“If what you truly desire is to become a dancer, no one will stop you,” Lucifer hummed, and then paused when he felt Chloe’s fingers dig into his ribs. “But desire is based on experience.”

“So, learn now,” Trixie sulked, shifting in her chair, but then brightened. “so, I can slack later.”

“Exactly!” Lucifer chirped, infinitely pleased, nay, proud, and nudged Chloe with an elbow. “She is a crafty one.”

Chloe shook her head, and then looked from her boyfriend to her daughter, quirking her lips. “She’s something.”

“She’s also doing homework on a Saturday morning,” Lucifer pointed out with a frown. “Which means the urchin is no doubt up to something nefarious.”

“Nothing nefarious,” Trixie insisted and rubbed at her eye with the back of her hand. “I wanted to go to the farmer’s market with you and Mom.”

Lucifer frowned. “I wasn’t aware you had a choice in that particular matter.”

“Yeah,” Trixie agreed with a bob of her head, and then tapped her chin with one finger. “But I also want to go to the movies with you guys tomorrow night. Mom won’t let me if my homework’s not done.”

Lucifer made a face, clearly taken aback, and then nodded his approval. “Well done, Detective!”

“Thanks,” Chloe said dryly, knowing that Lucifer approved for every reason but the actual point, and rose from her place at the table. She gave Lucifer a quick kiss and hugged her daughter. “Let me get dressed so we can go.”

Lucifer smirked, dark eyes smoldering, and leaned sideways toward her. “Well, Detective, you don’t actually have—”

Trixie slammed her hand against the table, fire in her eyes. “No!”

“Trixie?” Chloe began, feeling the bottom fall out of her stomach. With a pang, she realized she had never actually discussed Lucifer with her daughter. “Monkey…”

Lips pressed in a thin line, Trixie slowly shook her head, and drummed her fingers against the table. She glared daggers at Lucifer. “No naked time for you until you explain how you got six for problem five.”

Lucifer brightened, looking all shades of impressed, and waved Chloe off. “Well, my dear, what you do to one side of the equation you must do to the other. Which is an excellent life lesson as well as a mathematics one.”

Chloe lingered in the doorway for a moment before heading upstairs. A question that she didn’t want to dwell on too much darted through her mind.

Where would humanity be without mathematics?

 

 

“Nowhere,” informed Ella a week later at a crime scene. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I mean, seriously. We wouldn’t even have cheese.”

“Cheese?” Chloe repeated, quirking a brow, and dropped to a squat near a splatter pattern on the floor. “Who found the body?”

“Housekeeper, Ms. Mathews,” Ella answered, looking up briefly from her camera. “And yeah. Cheesemaking is cooking, which is chemistry, which uses all sorts of math.”

Ella grinned and quickly snapped Chloe’s picture before setting the camera down. “Anyway, weird question.”

Chloe splayed a hand across her face, shaking her head.

“Yeah, I’m trying to show Trixie why math is important,” she lied, biting her lip a little. “And well…”

“Ah, gotcha,” Ella chirped with a bob of her head and briefly touched the cross around her neck. “And well, the big guy upstairs gave us math for a reason so…” She brightened and hopped to her feet, gesturing for Chloe to stand. “Oh, and you’re welcome.”

Confused, Chloe mouthed a “what?” as she stood and turned around. Striding towards her was a handsome man in his thirties. He was tall and lean, dressed in a dark suit with a violet pocket square. His strawberry blonde hair glinted in the mid-afternoon sun. He looked like someone more at home on a runway than at a crime scene. “Who’s that?”

“Evan Belloc,” Ella breathed with a knowing look in her eye. “Assistant DA and major, major hottie.”

Chloe groaned, rolling her eyes skyward. “Ella—”

“Ah, Ms. Lopez!” Evan Belloc called out cheerfully. His voice was pleasant, but commanding, and tinted with a barely detectable accent. He smiled shyly, tiny dimples tugging at his cheeks, and nodded a greeting to Chloe. “And you must be Detective Decker. I’m Evan Belloc.”

Chloe shook his offered hand and smiled. His skin was soft, and his nails manicured. Evan Belloc had probably worked behind a desk his entire life.

“Good to meet you, Mr. Belloc,” she said politely, and then sobered, suddenly wary. Something was off. “I wasn’t aware we were getting a new assistant DA.”

“Evan’s fine,” he said with a shake of his head. “And you’re not. I’m just covering for Janice while she’s on maternity. Which reminds me…” he pulled a file out of his suit jacket. “You forgot to sign off on your preliminary report.”

“Oh, did I?” Ella cried in mock innocence and gave Chloe a sly wink. “Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I forgot. I’m so, so sorry!”

Evan looked slightly taken aback, his dark eyes widening. “It’s quite all right, Ms. Lopez,” he said carefully and handed the report back to Ella. “Fortunately, I noticed before I drove off.”

“Ah, well, it’s a good thing I didn’t put it in a file folder,” Ella said with a forced, fake laugh. She signed the report quickly and handed back to Evan, her fingers lingering a bit longer than necessary. “There ya go.”

Evan nodded, double checking the file before sticking it back into his suit. “All right. Done and done, I should have your warrant by this afternoon.”

He took a step back, smiling at both women, before striding away as quickly as he came.

“Bow Chicka Wow wow, Decker,” Ella breathed dreamily and flung up her hands in a mock explosion. “Speaking of chemistry.”

Chloe gaped at Ella, her head tilting sideways, and glared at her through squinted eyes. “Ella!” she groaned in exasperation.

“Yeah, I know you’re with Lucifer now and you guys are totally on this amazing level,” Ella said with a sly grin, waggling her eyebrows. “But same gets boring and you’re not dead.”

Chloe took a deep breath, rolling her eyes skyward as she mentally counted to ten. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped short when she noticed Evan pause and turn in circles a few yards away.

“We’ll talk later,” she said, pointing a finger, and then trotted off toward Evan.

“Get some, Decker,” Ella crooned before Chloe was out of earshot. “Be the meat in that sandwich!”

Chloe quickened her pace to an almost jog. On the bright side, Ella was only trying to arrange a threesome. She breathed a mental sigh. Only and threesome were two words she never thought she’d use in the same sentence.

She slowed her jog to a brisk walk until she came within a foot of Evan. He was kneeling, one palm pressed firmly to the ground, the other balanced on his knee. His eyes darted back and forth beneath his partially lowered lids as if he were deep into REM sleep.

“The victim ran through here,” he whispered, his eyes opening slowly as she moved to stand in front of him. “Which may contradict Ms. Lopez’s report somewhat.”

“How did you, who…” Chloe began, but then she simply knew without question. “You’re an angel.”

Evan smiled, warm and dazzling, and gently inclined his head. “Yes.”  He leapt to his feet with an easy grace and dusted himself off. “I hadn’t intended to cross your path, but since I have, I feel it’s better you know.”

Chloe quirked her lips, tipping her head from side to side. “Too bad your brother didn’t feel the same way.”

Evan shook his head, a frown curling at his lips. “He did and does. You simply lacked the faith to believe him.” He tilted his head, peering birdlike down at her. “But it has been forgiven. Let it trouble you no more.”

Chloe laughed suddenly, nervous and if she were honest, slightly angry. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“However you like,” Evan said with a warm smile. “Simply know that I am not here to trouble you or my brother.

Wary, Chloe wanted, but couldn't quite bring herself to believe Evan. “Then why are you here?”

“To watch and wait.”

“For what?” Chloe said, her voice little more than a whisper.

“The others.”

 

 

True to his word, she didn’t cross paths with Evan again until Lucifer deliberately sought him out. Which, truth be told, was less than an hour after he learned one of his brothers was on the mortal plane.

As it turned out, Evan was the angel Verchiel and had the gift of psychometry. While he was better with objects, he could sometimes read souls. He was kind and patient, but more importantly, harbored Lucifer no ill will. At least, that was what he claimed.  

“Heaven is a zero-sum game that no one knows they’re playing,” Verchiel, Evan whispered, staring at Lucifer with sad eyes. “You simply saw it first.”

 

 

The sun had barely gone down, and Lux was already at capacity. Lucifer’s fingers glided over the piano keys, weaving song into song. He was completely within his element, even if his mind were elsewhere.

Lucifer thought of his siblings now funneling down to earth, one after another, and of Chloe stuck at parent-teacher’s night. He would see her in the morning unless she dropped by late tonight. As for his siblings, he wasn’t sure.

A drink appeared on top of the piano. He looked up to see one of his dancers smiling down at him.

“You okay?” she asked, giving him an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “You seem stuck in your own head tonight.”

Taking a sip, he smiled at her over the glass. She had worked at Lux for years, been his lover on more than one occasion. More importantly, she had been a friend. One who had asked for nothing in return.

“So, tell me,” he said softly, almost sensually. “Do you enjoy working here?”

She smiled at him, tilting her head, and pressed a finger to the side of her mouth. Her entire manner was coy.

“Well, I miss the sex, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said with a cheeky grin. “But I’m thinking it’s not.”

“No.”

She shrugged her sequined top glittering in the low light of the club. “And since I’m guessing I’m not about to be fired, I’ll just tell you straight.”

She sat down sideways on the piano bench so that she could look at him. “If you ran hell like you do Lux, I’m diving face first into the flames.”

“You don’t want to go there, Sofia,” he said very seriously and set his drink back down on the piano. “Nor do you want to live a life that will lead you there.”

“Probably not,” Sofia said and rose from the bench. “So, I’ve decided to just not die.”

She pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and disappeared behind the stage. Her set was in ten minutes.

“She means it, you know,” Verchiel said as he slipped from the crowd to stand at Lucifer’s elbow. “To risk hell for a single person? It’s absurdity personified.”

“Well, you know what they say, brother,” Lucifer said snidely, his fingers moving down the keys in a flourish. “Once you go devil…”

“You get a weird skin condition and a bad attitude?” Verchiel sassed and helped himself to Lucifer’s drink. “Yeah, I’ve heard.”

“What do you want?”

Setting the drink back on the piano, Verchiel breathed a sigh of mock despair and looked forlornly into the distance.

“You mean other than for Ms. Lopez to realize I’m dropping by to see her and not your girlfriend?”

“Besides that,” Lucifer groused, and then snapped to attention. His eyes hardened as a wave of overprotectiveness washed over him. “Why are you visiting Ms. Lopez?”

Verchiel clucked his tongue, tapping his chin with one finger.

“Because, she’s smart, she’s pretty, and she’s sweet. And because I’m thinking that I might eventually like to have sex with her.” He shrugged. “If she’s of the mind, of course. But it would be after I finish binge-watching all of Star Trek and read the last Harry Potter book.”

“Oh, you poor soul,” Lucifer breathed, shaking his head. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

“Ah, that,” Verchiel hummed and leaned up against the piano. “Just to let you know that Isafariel has arrived on earth.”

Lucifer’s eyebrows lifted to his hairline. “Oh?” he said with a smirk, pretending not to care as he segued into another song. “And who is little sister driving mad this century?”

Verchiel made an amused sound and ran a long finger along the glossy black piano lid, tracing patterns. “Children at a middle school.”

The music stopped abruptly in the discordant clatter of keys. “What?” he hissed, his heart pounding, and stood abruptly from the piano. “Which school?”

Not waiting for an answer, Lucifer unfurled his wings and was gone.

“You always were a drama queen, Lucifer,” he said with a sigh and peered around now the silent dance floor. Shrugging, he plopped down on the piano bench and stared out into the crowd.  “Any requests? I know _Row Row Row Your Boat_ and _Moonlight Sonata_.”

When he received nothing but nervous chatter, Verchiel cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders, crimson wings unfurling behind him. “Mashup it is.”

 

 

Minutes later Lucifer landed on the roof of Trixie’s school. He quickly scanned the area, heart sinking when he noticed Chloe’s car still in the parking lot. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he checked it out of habit.

There was a single unread text from the offspring. He tapped the icon and swallowed hard at the single one-word message. “Help.”

Without hesitation, he leapt from the roof and ran around the building to the front doors. He shoved them open, nearly ripping the doors from their hinges, and bound into the lobby of the school.

Several parents stared at him, unaware of the possible danger, and pulled their children close. He ignored them and rushed down the hallway in search of Chloe and Trixie. After a few moments of searching, he came to a flight of stairs and paused when his phone buzzed again.

He yanked it out of his pocket just in time to see Trixie round the corner tapping at her phone.

“Oh, wow, that was fast,” Trixie said, her eyes widening in delight. Then, she took one look at Lucifer and backpedaled. “Uh, oh.”

Trixie laughed nervously as Lucifer grabbed her by the arm.

“Wait!” she cried, trying to pull herself free. “I’m fine, Mom’s fine I was just…Lucifer.”

Lucifer didn’t listen, but instead dragged her beneath the stairwell and forced her to sit on the ground.

“Stay here,” he said firmly, pointing a stern finger at her. “Where’s your mother?”

“With Ms. De Los Santos,” Trixie whimpered, tears in her eyes, and grabbed at his pant leg. “What’s going on?”

“I…” Lucifer took a deep breath, calming himself, and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. To his chagrin, he realized there was a very good chance he was overreacting. There were hundreds, if not thousands of schools in Los Angeles alone. Isafariel could be terrorizing any one of them. And he was here, wasting time, while she did.

He took another deep breath and exhaled, as Dr. Linda had shown him some time ago. “Tell me about this Ms. De Los Santos.”

Trixie made a face, hunkering her shoulders down, and made a mewling sound.

“She’s short, cranky, and mean,” Trixie practically snarled and wrapped her arms completely around his leg, hugging him to her. “And she’s always calling on me in class even though she knows I don’t know the answer.”

Lucifer breathed again, but this time it did nothing to calm him. “Is she about five two, Hispanic, black hair, green eyes?”

“Uhm…Yeah,” Trixie murmured, blinking up at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Bloody hell,” he hissed, prying her arms off his legs, and pushed her further into the corner of the stairwell. “Stay here.”

Then Lucifer darted from beneath the stairwell and bolted upstairs.

Trixie leaned forward, hugging her knees, utterly confused as to was happening. She had just text Lucifer because her mother was about to meet with Ms. De Los Santos. Next thing she knew, he was shoving her beneath a stairwell.

“No, no, urchin,” she mouthed, mimicking Lucifer’s accent. “Just hide here away from all the punch and snacks. No need for you to help me fight Godzilla or whatever’s attacking the school. Never mind that your mother’s here and I’m just as…”

Trixie’s eyes widen with realization. “Oh, no,” she gasped and bolted up the stairs after Lucifer.

Chloe couldn’t keep from smiling as Ms. De Los Santos, or Ari as she asked to be called, sang her daughter’s praises.

“Trixie had a tiny bit of trouble in the beginning,” Ari explained, pointing out a few rather low grades. “but she picked up on the material very quickly. Her grades have been steadily rising ever since.”

A warm feeling bubbled in Chloe's chest. “My boyfriend helps her with her homework,” she admitted, trailing her fingers down the column of numbers.

“Well, my brother created mathematics, or so he’s always claimed,” Ari said with a warm chuckle. “Regardless, he’s not taking her tests for her.”

“Yeah,” Chloe breathed, feeling strangely teary. “I just didn’t expect him to be such a good teacher.”

“Well, people surprised you—”

Then, as if on cue, the door was wrenched open and Lucifer barreled his way into the classroom. “Isafariel!”

“Lucifer? I left a message your club, but I didn’t mean tonight,” Ari shook her head in annoyance, her eyes flicking to Chloe “Look, I’m in the middle of something--”

“Don’t look her in the eye, Detective!” Lucifer warned, striding forward until only the desk stood between him and Ari. “My sister is—”

“Lucifer,” Trixie yelled as she bound breathlessly into the room. She gazed triumphantly at Ari. “I knew you were up to something—”

Ari wiggled her fingers at Trixie from across the room. “Oh, hello, Noodle. Keeping poor company, I see.”

“Noodle,” Chloe repeated in disbelief, her temper flaring. “You call my daughter Noodle?”

“Bloody hell, child,” he snapped, shoving Trixie behind him, and strode forward. “Detective that’s hardly the—”

“Mom—”

“Yes,” Ari admitted offhandedly. Her chair squeaked as she leaned back. “As in she uses her noodle. Trixie is quite smart.”

“Then why,” Trixie almost wailed and slammed her hands against the desk. “do you keep calling on me in class?”

“It would be pointless to call upon a stupid child,” Ari said with a scoff and a wave of her hand. “Not to mention mean. Plus, I needn’t remind you that the class only lasts an hour.”

Chloe tried and failed not to laugh, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth. Realizing he was quickly losing Chloe’s support, Lucifer wedged himself between mother and daughter.

“Yes,” Lucifer sneered, glaring down at Ari. “It’s all fun and games until someone cuts off their own ear.”

Ari leaned back further in her chair, her head lolling back and forth, and breathed out a heated breath. “As if your gift has never hurt anyone.”

She shoved herself forward, her chair wheeling backward. “My gift is inspiration in its purest, most distilled form,” she explained for Chloe’s benefit. “But inspiration is infectious, it can spread to whole groups of people.”

“For good or ill,” Chloe whispered, realizing what Lucifer issue must be. She wound an arm around his waist, her hand rubbing at the small of his back.

“And there has always been a fine line between inspiration and madness. I was careless in the past, and mortals were hurt.”

Ari stared up at Lucifer, her expression was angry, but there was hurt in her eyes. “Even so, I once had a brother who would stretch before jumping to the worst conclusions about me.”

Lucifer clenched his jaw and looked away, a sinking feeling in his chest. Strangely, learning one of his siblings cared for him always hurt more than believing they didn’t. “You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”

“I work here,” Ari snapped, her tone cold and matter of fact, and then gestured to Chloe. “Currently, I’m trying to hold a meeting concerning a child that I’ve just, right now, been made aware was your stepdaughter.”

Lucifer lifted a finger, chuckling without humor. “First of all, I’m not her stepfather—”

“Oh?” Ari mouthed rather than said, eyes widening as she nodded at Chloe in approval. “That is wise, my dear. Otherwise, he’ll just teach you mathematics and pretend you don’t exist for several thousand years.”

“I never—”

“Until you accidentally drive someone insane, and then it’s all you will ever hear about,” Ari fumed, and then spun in her chair so that her back was to the room. “You and Amenadiel really ought to form a club.”

“Right…” Trixie drew out slowly and took a step back with the intention of slipping away. “On that note, I think I’ll go hop on a pole somewhere and contemplate my future.”

“Pejorative,” Lucifer chided and breathed an exasperated sigh. “Honestly, this constant prejudice against dancers is quite unbecoming.”

“Well, you suck for putting letters in math. And for hurting your sister’s feelings,” Trixie said pointedly, and then edged closer to Ari. “You are his sister, right?”

“I thought I was,” Ari replied sullen, sulking with her back turned to everyone. “But, as it turns out, he’s just like the rest of my alleged siblings.”

Lucifer balked, obviously offended. “I am nothing like them.”

“Really?” Ari spat, turning her chair just enough so that she could glare at him. “Did you or did you not just storm in here to rescue your…” she turned a little more so that she could see Chloe. “I’m sorry. What exactly is your relationship with my former sibling?”

“I’m not your former anything,” Lucifer growled and grabbed the back of the chair, spinning it back around to face him. “Isafariel.”

Ari stared hard at him for a long moment, but then looked away, her bottom lip trembling. “Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not going back to the Silver City.”

“There’s a story,” Lucifer purred, mocking her with widened eyes. “I can’t wait to hear.”

“Too bad,” Ari smirked, lounging back in her chair. “I’m saving it for someone who actually cares.”

Chloe stood suddenly and gestured for a timeout. “All right, both of you cool it.”

“Detective!”

“Ms. Espinoza, I—”

Chloe raised her hand, gesturing for silence, and then looked at brother and sister in turn. “Don’t Detective me, and it’s Decker. Detective Decker.”

Ari blinked in surprise, pursing her lips, and made a little humming sound. “Huh, you’re pretty. Not the prettiest human I’ve ever seen, mind. But pretty enough, I suppose.”

Chloe goggled at her and for a moment was at a loss for words. “Thanks?” she finally managed to stammer.

“Still, I can't imagine why Verchiel doesn’t want to have sex with you,” Ari mused, tapping her lips with her index finger. “Or, as he put it, be the bread in a Decker sandwich.”

Chloe sputtered, choking a little, and shook her head in disbelief. “I mean, I don’t even…”

“My brother is a fool,” Lucifer consoled, pulling her into his side.

“Pot meet kettle,” Ari muttered under her breath

“Enough!” Chloe bellowed, throwing up her hands in frustration. She pointed at Ari. “Your ass better not move from that chair.” Then she turned to Lucifer. “Zip it.”

“Detective!” brother and sister whined in unison.

Chloe turned from the pair and took both of Trixie’s hands in hers. “Okay, Monkey,” she cooed, smiling. “Go downstairs and get some punch. Lucifer and I will be down in a few minutes, all right?”

Trixie nodded and bolted from the room as if there was a hellhound on her heels. Chloe took a deep breath and steeled herself. Now to deal with the other two children in the room.

Ari and Lucifer mirrored each other, arms crossed and glaring. Chloe cleared her throat and the siblings jumped in near unison.

She looked at brother and sister in turn, not quite sure where to begin. So, she decides, perhaps unwisely, to ask the first question that came to mind. “Are you here for Trixie?”

“No,” Ari said, shaking her head. “While I’m quite fond of Noodle, I had no idea she was anything but a random student.”

She looked up at Lucifer as if wanting him to say something, and then stared down at her hands. “I’ll miss her.”

Chloe nudged Lucifer with her elbow, urging him none too gently to speak. Lucifer breathed a put-upon sigh and rolled his eyes.

“I believe the detective forbid you from moving from that chair. You’d be wise to obey.”

“Yeah, well.” Ari sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m not wise.”

Eyes shining, Chloe decided to ask the question she knew was on Lucifer’s mind even if he wouldn’t admit it. “Has something happened back home?”

“Yes,” Ari said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “And no.”

She looked up at Lucifer, her expression impossibly sad. “You weren’t the only person unhappy back home. You were just the only one brave enough to do something about it.”

Lucifer opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but then pressed his lips together and shook his head.

“It was probably the first equation you ever wrote,” Ari said with a small laugh. “Obedience plus X equals Hell.”

“So, dear ole Dad kicked you out. Is that it?” he snapped without any real bite to his words. “Club meetings are on Tuesdays.”

“I’ll pass,” she snarked back, her hair fluttering around her face when she blew out a breath. “After you, and then Mother was kicked out, we learned the value of sucking it the fuck up.”

“You came to earth several times,” Lucifer pointed out. “I remember we once had a rather splendid time in Mesopotamia.”

“Yeah,” Ari said with a smack and a bob of her head. “Until you ditched me when Amenadiel showed up.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he did eventually catch up with me. I was ready to go home by then, but still good on him and all that.”

“It doesn’t,” she muttered, grinding her teeth. “But back to my original point. Many of us are unhappy back home.”

“Have you tried talking to your Dad about it?” Chloe asked, breaking her silence. She knew the words were pointless. Lucifer and Ari’s father spoke to no one, least of all his children. “Or each other?”

Ari laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “We did.” She glanced up at Lucifer, smiling. “And believe it or not, we actually came to a group decision.”

Lucifer shook his head, a smattering laugh falling from his lips. “You’re right, I don’t believe it.”

“We decided if we found a place to go, we would leave.” Ari rose from the chair, standing to her full diminutive height. “And then we found it, the sum of X.”

“You’re coming to earth,” Lucifer gasped, something strange threading through his voice. “All of you.”

“Not all, but many,” Ari said simply, her voice taking on a whimsical quality. “Verchiel is here to wait and watch for us. To help us into our new lives.”

Lucifer’s eyes darted to Chloe who seemed to be taking everything in stride. “Well, my dear. You do have an extra bedroom.”

Chloe laughed without humor and eyed Ari warily. “There is far more to this than you’re saying.”

“More than likely.” Ari smiled and rolled her shoulders. Wings the blue, green, and purple of a peacock’s tail unfurled from her back. “Just know we mean you no harm.”

And with that, she was gone.

 

 

The next day Trixie returned home with the news that Ms. De Los Santos, Ari, was no longer teaching at her school. A dedicated and beloved teacher gone without warning or word.

“I thought I’d be happy,” she said, tearing up a little, “but I’m mostly just sad.”

 

 

The next day, Evan Belloc abruptly transferred, departing for places unknown.

“Picard and Kirk are both awesome,” Ella declared, dragging a life-sized cutout of Captain Picard from a crime scene. It was evidence, or more accurately, the murder weapon. “This murder is definitely in violation of Starfleet Article 23, Section 34.”

“Don’t murder someone with a cardboard cutout?” Chloe supplied unhelpfully. “Unless they’re a bumpy head alien?”

“They’re Klingons!” Ella grumbled half to herself. “Man, Evan would’ve known this. We talked trek like every day.”

Chloe shook her head, wondering how someone as smart as Ella could also be as dense. “You’re going to miss him.”

“Maybe,” Ella peered over the cutout and winked. “Dude was totally into you.”

 

 

Lucifer stood on his balcony, hands steepled together in prayer. He was searching, listening, for two siblings he hoped were still on earth and a third he knew wouldn’t answer.

There was nothing, not even silence. For silence in by its nature is something. His hands dropped to his sides as his face tipped heavenward. Isafariel had claimed she had discovered the sum of X. And in that moment, and in this place, he realized so had he. Perhaps, he had always known.

He leapt from the balcony, white wings unfurling from his back. A nimbus of stars wound around his form as he traveled to a place that he realized had never truly been home.

The great silver gates rose above him, locked and barred. He reached out with one star cloaked hand and pushed. The gate swung open wide.

For him, the sum of X was an unbarred gate. It was freedom and free will. It was everything and it was nothing. As he had told Trixie, variables, were merely numbers in disguise. X was whatever would bring him the results he most desired.

For if humanity would be nowhere without mathematics, could the same not hold true for the universe?

Staring into the city he had truly never intended to enter, Lucifer turned from the gate. He returned to his penthouse, and from there he made his way to Chloe’s apartment. He did her laundry as he cooked dinner, making sure to set an extra place for the sibling he was now certain would arrive. 


End file.
